A blog listing news and updates for the cloudymidnights site - a site dedicated to climatically challenged or visually impaired astronomers.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Are We Alone for 04/18/11 - Big, Really Big

Are We Alone - Big, Really BigThe universe is big – really big.* Galaxies, for instance, are often large enough to hold a trillion stars. But how did these heavenly heavyweights come to be? Hear how still-mysterious dark matter is implicated in the birth of galaxies.

Also, gamma ray bursts – explosions more energetic than anything since the Big Bang – take place somewhere in the visible universe every day. What are they, and could they obliterate life on Earth?

And, the biggest cosmic mystery de jour: dark energy. Why new, super-size telescopes may finally reveal just what it is.